This month we continue the celebration of our Queer & Trans historical figures, and the rich history of our intersectional cultures and identities with a name you definitely should know, but may not – many call her “Mama”, but most know her as Miss Major.

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is one of the women instrumental in the movements to advance the rights of Queer & Trans people of color An LGBTQ rights pioneer, Stonewall Veteran Griffin-Gracy has worked diligently for her most marginalized brothers and sisters of trans* and cis experience alike, and especially for trans women of color. She is Executive Director of the TGI Justice Project, a group focused on helping trans identified incarcerated people – and a position which she will retire from this month, according to the website.

A documentary that chronicles the life of Miss Major, from her words and the words of others premieres next month, November 13, at the San Francisco Trans Film Festival. In August, we spoke with the creators of the film, Analise Ophelian and StormMiguel Florez about their experiences, in light of the well-publicized erasure of historical figures like Miss Major from the motion picture Stonewall by Roland Emmerich.

And, if you are on the west coast, Miss Major’s retirement party is this weekend in San Francisco on Sunday, October 15th. Help celebrate her decades of service and purchase tickets, or donate to Miss Major’s Retirement Fund.